Eindwerk psycho-oncologie 2016-2018: e-Mental health interventions in the treatment of emotional distress in cancer patients and survivors: a systematic review

This systematic review aims to (1) investigate existing e-Mental health interventions developed to help manage cancer-related emotional distress; and (2) summarize the best available evidence on their effectiveness

Methods:

A comprehensive literature search of Web Of Science and PubMed up to May 2018 was conducted. Study outcomes were extracted, tabulated and summarized.

Results:

A total of six studies met inclusion criteria. All studies were randomized controlled trials (RCT). In two studies there was a level of professional facilitation and four studies were self-guided. Clinically significant improvement in emotional distress was reported in the intervention versus the control group in four studies. However, no significant improvements were observed for emotional distress in the long term.

Conclusions:

This systematic review has shown that web-based interventions might be beneficial at reducing emotional distress in cancer patients and survivors. However, evidence for their long-term effectiveness in reducing emotional distress is lacking. The small number of available studies illustrates how the application of e-Mental health interventions in the care of cancer patients and survivors is still in its early stage. This review highlights the need for future research on the effectiveness of additional functionalities to the existing (guided) self-help interventions.